Laura Washington: Crime is down in Chicago, but there may be trouble ahead

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

It's one step forward, two steps back.
That's the state of public safety in Chicago. Summer fun is here, but in recent years, that's been overshadowed by the specter of escalating crime.
This year, however, Chicago is enjoying a desperately needed retreat from surging violent crime.
That's the step forward. This May, the city suffered the fewest number of homicides since the same month in 2011, according to Chicago Police Department data. Last month, 36 homicides were recorded, which is down 38% compared with May of last year and a drop of nearly 50% from May 2023, WTTW-Ch. 11 News reports.
'Through the first five months of 2025, Chicago's homicide total (152) is down 28% compared to the same time last year. The number of shootings (529) and shooting victims (616) recorded thus far in 2025 are also down 35% and 36%, respectively, compared to 2024,' according to WTTW.
Those totals are the lowest since at least 2019.
Crime has been trending down for months. Violent crime in 2025 is down 23% compared with last year, and property crime in Chicago dropped by 12%.
That is exceptionally good news, and it could not have come at a more auspicious time. On the cusp of our long, hot summer, Chicago is taking positive steps toward preserving our life and limb.
The mayor, civic and business leaders, and community activists are toiling to break down the walls between the police and the communities they are sworn to protect. Urban crime surges when police-community relations are fractured, public safety experts say.
That suggests troubling signs ahead as two recent developments are imperiling police-community relations.
Last week, another police officer was killed, this time in Chatham on the South Side.
Horribly, Officer Krystal Rivera, 36, was shot to death by one of her colleagues following a pursuit. The tragedy was triggered when officers tried to stop someone whom they believed to be armed, according to CPD. Things escalated as officers followed the man into an apartment building, where someone pointed a rifle at the officers, according to police. Rivera was unintentionally shot by a fellow officer and later died, CPD said.
On Saturday, Adrian Rucker, 25, who police said pointed the rifle at officers, was charged with multiple offenses, including armed violence and use of a firearm without a firearm owner's identification card.
Police officials and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are continuing to investigate the raft of questions surrounding the tragedy. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories about the police and who was culpable are swirling on social media.
Rivera is the fifth Chicago police officer to be shot and killed since 2023, WLS-Ch. 7 reports.
Many Chicagoans still harbor deep distrust of the police, while the city's officers are demoralized and fearful about what awaits them on streets where bad actors have no fear of law enforcement.
Another blow comes in the growing tensions around President Donald Trump's deportation crusade.
Last week, conflicts emerged out of the chaos from the raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, when 10 to 20 immigrants were checking in to a federal monitoring program in the South Loop, according to news reports.
Activists and elected officials showed up to protest the ICE action and claimed some were pushed and harassed by ICE agents.
Chicago police vehicles and officers were also at the scene and 'were met with chants of 'Who do you protect? Who do you serve?'' Block Club Chicago reported.
Some activists allege that the police were working with ICE, 'despite Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance, which largely prevents local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities,' the Chicago Tribune reported.
CPD has denied that officers were assisting ICE and instead were there 'to ensure the safety of all involved, including those exercising their First Amendment rights,' according to a department statement.
Members of the City Council's Latino Caucus have denounced the ICE raid and are calling for a hearing to investigate whether the police cooperated with ICE, the Tribune reported.
And now, Trump is threatening to send in federal troops to quash anti-deportation protests.
All this could jeopardize the recent progress in quelling Chicago's fight against crime. Can the city build on that success or will these emerging conflicts stir the simmering cauldron of mistrust and bring relations between residents and law enforcement to a boil in the hot summer ahead?
It's a question the city's powers should put a laser focus on. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [e-mail].